New York Mayor Bloomberg Bans Religion at 9/11 Ceremony

What is this country coming to? Since when is faith not a part of our lives?

I never did like this guy...slick smooth nose-in-the-air schmuck! He bought his mayorship and comes up with some of the weirdest decisions I've ever heard of.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is under attack for refusing to allow members of the clergy to play a role in the city’s commemoration of the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

Bloomberg insists the ceremonies should focus on the families of those killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center. He is also barring political speech. But pastors and politicians are lining up to lambast his decision, reports The Wall Street Journal.

"This is America, and to have a memorial service where there's no prayer, this appears to be insanity to me," said Rudy Washington, a deputy mayor under Bloomberg’s predecessor Rudy Giuliani, who organized a nationally televised interfaith ceremony at Yankee Stadium in the days after the 2001 attacks.

"I feel like America has lost its way," added Washington. “I am very upset about it. This is crazy.”

New York City Council member Fernando Cabrera, a pastor in the Bronx, said faith was one of the “pillars that carried us through” the days after the attacks and called religious leaders “the spiritual and emotional backbone.”

Link

reply to post by mishigas


I personally can see the logic of it. Why should there be a religious element to the ceremony? It seems to get tied in to everything when it should be involved in nothing.

and to say "prayer was one of the pillars that carried us through" is just false. It helped the religious perhaps, but the rest of us were fine.

reply to post by mishigas



My first thought on this is to ask whether they consulted the families about this, since this ceremony is for them. The precedent was set in past years though, so one would expect that the families have had input. However there's no mention in the article that they were ever consulted.

reply to post by mishigas


I also read that he told the firefighters there wasn't room for them at the ceremony, is this true? If it is, that needs to be changed.

reply to post by mishigas


I think his decision is perfectly rational, and appropriate.

reply to post by aero56


I've heard this one too, but it was more like "the fire-fighters never got an invite". there's going to be a separate ceremony for the first responder guys.

I don't think religion should be a part of it. I agree with with him.

Why would you exclude faith from a deeply emotional experience? How does it harm you? What's wrong with a moment of silence led by a man of the cloth?

I'll use the same argument used by gay marriage advocates...How does a same sex marriage affect your heterosexual marriage?

reply to post by WildWorld


It shouldn't be a part of a Presidential Inauguration either, but it is. Using the Bible is optional, but it is used.

reply to post by mishigas


Because it is a ceremony honoring everyone who died in the attacks. And by far not everyone who died was a Christian. Bloomberg would have to allow every single possible religion to take part in the ceremony equally or none at all.

Well, as they say, 9/11 was carried out by the anti-religious illuminati. So I'm not surprised if he's just fulfilling their deeds.

It's pretty much like admitting that the terrorists won.

I'm not religious in the least, but I wouldn't be offended by prayer at a memorial sevice. Whatever. This country is totally nuts these days. We wouldn't want to offend anyone (except for those pesky Christians), would we?

reply to post by mishigas


Were they going to include ALL faiths or just one? I'm assuming the answer is one. Why cater to one and not all?
I feel the same way about them wanting to put a cross there.
All or none.

reply to post by SG-17

Because it is a ceremony honoring everyone who died in the attacks. And by far not everyone who died was a Christian. Bloomberg would have to allow every single possible religion to take part in the ceremony equally or none at all.

That's just a very bad assumption, that the words would have to be Christian oriented. Easily solved.

I would say that if the request came from a muslim, Bloomberg would agree in a heartbeat, citing some kind of interpersonal relation bullcrap. I say that because he so quickly approved the mosque to be built.

reply to post by mishigas

There was nothing wrong with the mosque. It was two blocks away from ground zero. No one would complain if a synagog or a church was built on that site two blocks away. It is just bigotry to try to stop it from being built.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is under attack for refusing to allow members of the clergy to play a role in the city’s commemoration of the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

Bigger picture to me is... just another example of government control.

What ever happened to this?

en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by mishigas

I say let them have their "non-religious memorial" and those who are religious plan a separate event. See who goes where.

reply to post by Skorpiogurl


Bloomberg isn't Congress and he isn't making a law.

Originally posted by SG-17
reply to post by Skorpiogurl

 

Bloomberg isn't Congress and he isn't making a law.

I didn't say he was.